A Visit to Hiva

According to legend, a place called Hiva was the original homeland of Hotu Matu'a, the traditional founding father of Rapa Nui. Although the true location of Hiva is unknown, the name forms paret of the names of three islands in the Marquesas group in French Polynesia: Nuku Hiva, Hiva Oa and Fatu Hiva. Archaeological evidence also suggests that this group of islands may have been the first in Eastern Polynesia to be inhabited. From this dispersal point, not only Rapa Nui but also Hawai'i, Mangareva, the Society, Cook and Austral groups, and New Zealand may have been first discovered by Polynesian voyagers.